Many people treat their refrigerator as a "food disinfection cabinet" at home, believing that food stored in the refrigerator is hygienic. In fact, because a refrigerator is used for long-term food storage and is not cleaned often, it can breed many bacteria. Dr. Michael Doyle, director of the Center for Food Safety at the University of Georgia, suggests that food in the refrigerator may look fresh on the outside, but it has actually spoiled. Cooked meat products should not be stored in the refrigerator for more than 4 days.
The common refrigeration temperature for food preservation is between 4°C and 8°C. In this environment, the growth rate of most bacteria slows down. However, some bacteria are psychrophilic, such as Yersinia and Listeria, which can actually multiply rapidly at this temperature. Consuming food infected with these bacteria can cause intestinal diseases. In the freezer compartment of the refrigerator, the temperature is generally around -18°C. At this temperature, most bacteria are inhibited or killed, so food stored here has a better preservative effect. However, freezing does not completely sterilize the food, as some bacteria with strong cold resistance can survive. Therefore, from another perspective, if a refrigerator is not disinfected regularly, it can instead become a "breeding ground" for certain bacteria.
Additionally, do not store too much food in the refrigerator, as this can cause the outer part of the food to be cold while the inner part remains warm, leading to spoilage.